Picnic At The Bluffs

(late august. number 32.)

When my parents were visiting Portland the week before Christmas last year, I took them to the Skidmore Bluffs on an afternoon where we had a spare hour. As we stood on the precipice, in the unseasonable warm and sunny air, I had the idea to do a sack lunch Secret Restaurant in that very spot. I could see it all, right then- the hazy light, the cold food and beer, a dramatic climax to the summer that was still so far away.

Everyone met and set out picnic blankets under and enormous apple tree. We passed around beverages and then paper bags filled with delectable lunches.

Our frequent guests Amanda & Jordan were married in July, and the whole wedding was festooned with lavender they had harvested out on Sauvie Island. The primary use since has been lavender lemonade. So delicious! So refreshing!

I made this sumptuous "grandma-style" fresh white bread. Yogurt and lemon thyme added both a soft tanginess and a fresh snap. Dough rolled in butter at different rising stages. So rich and satisfying!Credit for this sandwich idea must go entirely to the entirely phenomenal food cart called Picnic. I ate something very similar there a few weeks before this event, and couldn't stop thinking about it. Go there when it is open (I say this because too many times I have tried when they are not) & treat yoself.

White Russian and Lacinato Kales, as well as a few Cauliflower Leaves (all S.G.), dressed in sea salt and apple cider vinegar. Tossed with a single bag of Kettle Sea Salt & Vinegar potato chips, just to sort of love-tap the batch with the original inspiration.

4. Figs

Wouldn't be August and Secret Restaurant Portland without figs. One green, one black mission, straight up.

5. Plum Cake

Made by Aria, the cake was delightfully soft, opened-crumbed whole wheat cake, tangy with plums and crusted with raw sugar.

6. Summer Sorbet

Raspberry, blackberry, and mango sorbet made by Lucas with his fancy Vitamix. So smooth and delicate! Delicious with the cake.

A special shout-out to Peter Schweitzer, a recent addition to our crew of frequent guests. His incredible photos grace the vast majority of this post (all except the prep shots in the middle and the random shot of the beer bottle). After this contribution he became our primary photographer. Cheers to Peter!

And now, being seen for the first time, three lovely film photographs of the event by Aria Mikkola-Sears.